The present invention a method and apparatus for automatically detecting a performance position, on a musical score, of performance data input on a real-time basis, as well as a musical score display apparatus.
There have heretofore been proposed various musical score display apparatus for electronically displaying pictures of musical scores, which are commonly known as xe2x80x9celectronic musical scoresxe2x80x9d. Examples of such electronic musical scores include one which has a page-updating (page-turning) function for automatically detecting a position currently performed by a human player so as to display an appropriate one of pages of the musical score. However, because the conventionally-known electronic musical score is arranged to detect a changing performance position on the assumption that a performance is started at the very beginning of a music piece, that the performance does not stop on the way and that the human player makes no mistouch or misplay a musical instrument during the performance, it can not work properly when the music piece performance is started at some on-the-way point of the music piece, or, when a mistouch occurs, the electronic musical score tends to erroneously detect, or can not at all detect, the current performance position and thus would miss the proper page-turning timing.
In view of the foregoing, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which can accurately detect a current performance position on a musical score during a real-time performance even when the performance is started at some on-the-way point of a music piece or when a player makes a mistouch. The present invention also seeks to provide a musical score display apparatus using such a method or apparatus of the invention.
In order to accomplish the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides a performance position detection method which comprises: a reception step of receiving real-time performance data; a step of supplying reference performance data of a given music piece; an estimation step of estimating a performance position, in the music piece, of the real-time performance data, with reference to the reference performance data; a determination step of identifying performance data to be performed following the performance position estimated on the basis of the reference performance data, and determining accuracy of the estimated performance position in accordance with whether or not performance data corresponding to the identified performance data is actually received as next real-time performance data by the reception step.
Because the accuracy of the estimated performance position is determined in the present invention after generation of the next real-time performance data, a performance position following the estimated performance position determined as accurate represents a current performance position. Thus, once it is determined that the estimated performance position is accurate, a tempo of the real-time performance can be identified from a relationship between a time interval between two successive real-time performance data and corresponding note lengths of the reference performance data. The performance position detection method of the present invention may further comprise a management step of executing predictive management of timewise progression of the real-time performance in accordance with the tempo identified by the determination step, in which case the predictive management of timewise progression of the real-time performance by the management step is modified in accordance with the estimated performance position each time the estimated performance position is determined as accurate by the determination step. The predictive management of timewise progression of the real-time performance can be used, for example, to move a visual indicator indicating the current performance position on the musical score shown on the display device, or to cause impartment of a predetermined effect or other predetermined tone control to be automatically executed when the current performance position has arrived at a predetermined position on the musical score.
Namely, as an example, the performance position detection method of the present invention may further comprise: a step of showing, on a display device, a musical score based on the reference performance data; a step of providing a visual indicator to indicate, as a current performance position, a performance position following the estimated performance position determined as accurate by the determination step, on the musical score shown on the display device; and a step of controlling, in accordance with the tempo identified by the determination step, movement of the visual indicator on the musical score shown on the display device. Position of the visual indicator may be modified in accordance with the estimated performance position each time the estimated performance position is determined as accurate by the determination step.
The real-time performance data may be in the form of performance information including note data such as MIDI data. Alternatively, the real-time performance data may be analog or digital audio data generated by live performance of a musical instrument. The performance data received in real time via a microphone or input interface is analyzed to detect a tone pitch of the received performance data.
The present invention may be constructed and implemented not only as the method invention as discussed above but also as an apparatus invention. Also, the present invention may be arranged and implemented as a software program for execution by a processor such as a computer or DSP, as well as a storage medium storing such a program. Further, the processor used in the present invention may comprise a dedicated processor with dedicated logic built in hardware, rather than a computer or other general-purpose type processor capable of running a desired software program.
While the embodiments to be described herein represent the preferred form of the present invention, it is to be understood that various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of the present invention is therefore to be determined solely by the appended claims.